Two college girls, Aidera and her assistant, Clara, walked along the corridor on the west side of building A. They were heading to a specific place, and their footsteps were synchronized with the ticking of the clock. Several times, Clara pulled Aidera's sleeve to ask for clarification.
"Are you sure you want to meet this person? I heard many unpleasant rumors about him."
"Shush~ it's not nice to say that. Relax, besides, we're already good friends."
"So, you already know this person?"
"Well, yes... not really though. We only meet if there's a need, like for a meeting in the organization."
There was a spacious intersection in front of the room, but it was not crowded and felt deserted. They arrived at a relatively large room with a sign that read "Student Department" as the identity of the place. Aidera tried to touch a small display, which functioned as a doorbell. She touched it several times, but no one came out.
"It's so quiet here. Where could they be?"
"Maybe they're having lunch break?" Clara replied.
There was another way and that is to contact one of the organization's officers who should be inside. Clara took out her phone and intended to call someone, but a voice from a distance caught their attention.
"Wait up! I'm just coming in."
From the right end of the corridor, a well-built and muscular young guy approached them. He wore black and white clothes like an ordinary college student, but they seemed messy and haphazardly worn. His scary face, which was his trademark, was combined with a messy Pompadour hairstyle. In addition, there was a wide stitch scar that had dried on the left side of his neck. Upon arrival, he leaned against the door and casually observed the two girls in front of him.
"So, what can a guy like me do for two beautiful angels like you?"
"You! ... watch your mouth with Miss Ai. You're a-"
"Clara!"
"But-"
"Long time no see, Jack. You look as good as usual," Aidera said.
"Hahahaha! Is that a compliment? Okay, come on in."
The guy swiped a card like an ATM beside the door, and a sound was heard as if the door hinge had unlocked. One by one, they entered the room, but Clara held Aidera's arm again to stop her from stepping inside.
"Miss Ai, are you sure about this? This person doesn't seem trustworthy," Clara whispered.
"Oh, you're such a worrier. Yet, you're the one who had the idea to come here. Let's just go inside."
The interior design was elongated with a large red carpet that stretched from the front door. On the right side, there were many benches with several digital whiteboards. On the left side, there were circular-shaped sofas for the lounge area, complete with a bookshelf and a mini kitchen. Then there was a large bench with a European-style window that colored the end of the carpet. This bench was where the guy usually sat.
"Please, sit wherever you like. Would you like some coffee or tea?"
"No need to trouble yourself, we're just here to ask some questions," Aidera replied.
"Oh dear... no need to be so tense. Just treat this as your own basecamp, even though I'm sure it's not as fancy as your organization's rooms."
"No, no, all our organization's rooms are equally good."
Hearing their conversation, Clara joined them and even narrowed the distance between her and Aidera. He didn't expect the president of the Student Department in the History Education study program to be so friendly. That meant the horrible rumors he had heard from the other students weren't true. He is known to be scary among students because of his appearance, way of thinking, and even the way he speaks. Jack Roswell.
"So, what brings you here? It's not usual for people like you to come to this room," Jack asked.
In the end, Jack poured himself a glass of cold water and sat back in front of the two of them.
"What... I'm just a regular student like you," Aidera said.
"Whether you're regular or not, it's not up to you to decide. You're like deer entering a cheetah's territory," Jack replied casually, sipping his coffee. Occasionally, he changed his expression and looked up, as if deep in thought.
"You're here while the door is locked, and only I can unlock it. Besides, there's no one around. What if I did something to you now? I'm curious to see what would happen."
"Something? What would you do?!" Clara snapped.
The conversation suddenly felt strange. Somehow it felt too weird. Clara's positive thoughts suddenly began to change slowly. There is indeed something unbelievable about this person.
"I don't know what I will do to you. You're here to ask something, you should know that there's nothing more important than information. If you ask something that requires me to open my mouth, that means there must be a fair payment. For example..."
Jack's speech stopped, and he smirked. A panicked expression and cold sweat spread over Clara's hands. She shouldn't have suggested that Aidera meet this person. The rumors she heard were indeed true, that Jack was a frightening man. But unlike her, who was already a little confused, Aidera was still relaxed and even looked bored at the sly smile.
"For example... you tell your leader that his hair is annoying, can you do that?"
"Pfft~ hahaha"
Speaking in an incomprehensible flat tone, Aidera responded with laughter that only made Clara more confused. What exactly was Jack trying to say?
"You still don't like Dellon's hairstyle, hahaha."
"Huh! Seeing people with greasy hair always annoys me."
"As usual, your tone is already too attached to your hobby," Aidera added.
They both looked at each other for a moment and laughed together. It seemed as if they had known each other for a long time and could joke around easily. Although there were still some thoughts that Clara was trying to understand, she chose to remain silent and let the situation play out first.
"Clara, I know what you're thinking. Maybe it's a good idea for you to get to know each other better since you've only met a few times. This is Jack, as usual, you know he's the chairman of the Student Department in History Education study program," Aidera said.
"Yeah"
"His way of speaking is sometimes strange, but he's a drama club enthusiast. If you ask why... it seems like he always wants to practice his roles"
"That's the whole point" Jack replied, and both of them laughed lightly again.
After the explanation, Clara just bowed her head and closed her eyes as a sign of respect. She didn't want to talk about it and chose to understand and comply with her boss's request. As before, she chose to let the situation unfold as it should. Maybe it's not appropriate to judge people just by appearance.
"Okay, so about the wallet you sent via DM yesterday. What's the matter with it?"
Clara took out the object in question from her university suit and brought it to the center of the conversation.
"Miss Ai wants to return the wallet she found. After we checked, it turns out that it belongs to a student at the Grimhour Institute, it seems that the owner is in the history education program".
"Let me guess, so you're going to give it to me and ask me to return it to the owner?" Jack asked, sounding bored.
"If you don't mind, I want to return it myself. We just need to know who he really is. As far as I know, he's still a new student," Aidera said.
"Hoo~ unusual for you to be willing to bother," Jack said, reaching for the wallet in front of him.
The light blue object made him squint because he felt familiar with it. After it was opened, there was a paper currency worth 200 rupiahs, an ID card, a photo, and a student card. Without being surprised by the value of the money, the young man's hand trembled and unconsciously dropped the wallet.
"What's wrong?" Clara asked.
Jack's expression was filled with surprise after seeing the photo and the owner's name. He looked at his hands, which were unconsciously clenching into fists. Slowly, a smile and a menacing gaze began to color his face as his heartbeat began to race. Like a tiger who had found its prey, the feeling of excitement from within him only increased his adrenaline.
"How many days have you been trying to find the owner of this wallet?" Jack asked, still smiling like a psychopath.
"Um... maybe a week?"
"I see, then let me be the one to accompany you to meet this person. If my calculations are correct, we're lucky because he should still be in class," Jack said.
"Oh? well that's a good idea," Aidera said.
As Jack stood up, Clara was the one who looked the least enthusiastic and suspiciously stared at him.
"We should hurry before he goes home."
"Hmm... is there something interesting that makes you so energetic?" Clara asked.
The front door had opened with a swipe card as before. Jack's footsteps stopped before turning to the person who asked him a question. It was clear that he still couldn't hold back his expression, which was so scary.
"Nothing, don't think too much about it."
* * * *